Childhood by Markus Natten

Childhood

Markus Natten

When did my childhood go?

Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,

Was it the time I realised that Hell and Heaven,

Could not be found in Geography,

And therefore could not be,

Was that the day!

When did my childhood go?

Was it the time I realised that adults were not

all they seemed to be,

They talked of love and preached of love,

But did not act so lovingly,

Was that the day!

When did my childhood go?

Was it when I found my mind was really mine,

To use whichever way I choose,

Producing thoughts that were not those of other people

But my own, and mine alone

Was that the day!

Where did my childhood go?

It went to some forgotten place,

That’s hidden in an infant’s face,

That’s all I know.

Theme

Loss of innocence is the theme of the poem.

Word meanings:

1. ceased         stopped

2. realized       understood

3. seemed        appeared

4. preached     gave advice on moral standard, behavior etc.

5. Producing  creating

6. thoughts     ideas

7. forgotten place  unknown place

8. hidden        concealed

9. infant’s       baby’s/ child’s

Poetic devices:

1. When did my childhood go?     Refrain

2. Was it the time                           Refrain

3. Was that the day!                      Refrain

4. Whichever way                          Alliteration

SUMMARY

The poet is dejected at the loss of his innocence. He presumes that the day he became twelve years old, he lost his innocence. He realizes that there is no heaven or hell to be found in Geography book. He rationalizes his thought and makes his own conclusion.

The poet tries to guess that he might have lost his childhood innocence when he realized that the adults are hypocrites.

They do not practise what they preach. They talk of love but their action does not depict love.

The poet feels, he, perhaps has lost his childhood innocence when he became a unique individual; when he could make his own opinion and decision; when he was not influenced by others.

In the last stanza the poet draws conclusion that he has lost his childhood innocence. It has gone to some unknown place and it may be found on the face of an innocent child.

Think it out

1. Identify the stanza that talks of each of the following.

individuality, rationalism, hypocrisy

Ans. The first stanza talks about rationalism. It means that all the behaviour, opinion etc. should be based on reason rather than on emotion or religious belief.

The second stanza talks about hypocrisy. It refers to a behavior in which someone pretends to have moral standards or opinion which he really does not have.

The third stanza refers to individuality of the poet. Individuality is the quality of a person which makes him unique.

2. What according to the poem is involved in the process of

growing up?

Ans. According to the poem the process of growing involves three stages. The first stage involves the discovery of truth and to rationalize it. The second stage involves the discovery of hypocrite people all around us and the final stage  involves becoming independent and a unique individual.

3. What is the poet’s feeling towards childhood?

Ans. The poet feels that childhood means a bundle of innocence when one is ready to believe and accept anything without any prejudice. It’stime to be gullible.

4. Which do you think are the most poetic lines? Why?

Ans According to me the last stanza is the most poetic because it sums up the whole poem with the idea that the virtue of innocence is not lost but it could be found on the face of an infant. Thus it concludes that this world is not yet void of innocence and kindles hope amongst us.